About UOMA

In 1988, the Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment (CCME) identified used oil as Canada’s largest single-source of potentially hazardous material if not properly managed. It subsequently requested that the industry, through the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute (CPPI), renamed Canadian Fuels Association (CFA), address the issue.

The CPPI established the Used Oil Task Force which culminated in the 1991 Montreal Meeting where the recycling focus shifted from the government to sellers of lubricating products.

Subsequently, the Western Canadian Used Oil/Container/Filter Industry Task Force realized the importance of harmonizing the collection of used oil materials across western Canada. From this grew the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program model currently used in nine Canadian provinces.

Inter-provincial cooperation of the provincial Used Oil Management Associations (UOMA) is formalized through the National Used Oil Material and Antifreeze Advisory Council (NUOMAAC) which coordinates the Canada-wide used oil and antifreeze materials recycling effort and encourages national standards. The waste streams include used oil, used oil filters, used antifreeze, used plastic oil/antifreeze/DEF containers and pails, and aerosol cans in Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia (starting January 1, 2020).  For EHC applicable products designated by each province for recycling, click here.

Automotive waste, potentially hazardous if not properly managed, is kept out of our air, land and water. Valuable, non-renewable resources continue to be recovered, recycled and reused across the country.

The UOMA industry-led stewardship program model works environmentally, economically and socio-economically.

The video and booklet,   , provide an overview of the growth, development and current success of the program model.